


Living with Deviancy

by TrashyBunny



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Detroit: Become Human Spoilers, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Deviants (Detroit: Become Human), Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Reader-Insert, Romance, Slow Burn, fuck man, you know?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 08:34:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15945656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashyBunny/pseuds/TrashyBunny
Summary: Connor meets you, a young adult living in Detroit, when you are brought in to the police station to help with an interrogation. As you grow closer, Kamski asks you both favors that lead to something much bigger. (Fic is set after the canon events of Detroit: Become human.)





	1. Life in Detroit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Definitely not a prologue disguised as a chapter.

In the year 2038, deviant androids took charge of their own lives and led the revolution into their eventual freedom. Three months later, in the year 2039, the world was still adjusting to the new android laws. Cyberlife was hard at work trying to assist androids into human lifestyles by creating new software to help them feel more alive, but nothing official has yet to be released.  
Not everyone is happy about the new change that gives androids the same rights as humans. People protest and riot about the loss of their slaves. It gets unimaginably disturbing sometimes, they always try to escalate any amount of violence as much as possible. The DPD has shut all of their riots down before too much damage could be done, though.  
Markus, Simon, North, and Josh turned Jericho into a new safe haven for androids continuing to be targeted by humans, or those who haven’t gotten back on their feet. It's a giant hotel in the heart of the city that Cyberlife funds directly. They’re really starting to make a good name for themselves, now that Elijah Kamski has taken his place back at the very top of it.  
Hank and Connor are legends around Detroit, the famous human-android detective duo. They take any case regarding androids that they can get their hands on, and they’re doing a lot of good.  
You’ve lived in Detroit for years now. You are a former FBI agent, and now you’re a well-known psychologist who’s done countless studies and written several works. Your passion for discovering new abnormalities in the human mind has subsided over the years, and now you work in therapy. You see both humans and androids, and you help androids with their newfound emotions and get them to a place where they can make decisions to the best of their ability while maintaining a safe level of stress.  
So when you got a call one day from good family friend Hank Anderson asking for help in an investigation you were only a little surprised. The timing made sense, seeing as Detroit was kind of in chaos right now, but the reason made your blood boil. They needed your help getting through to a suspected anti-android terrorist member. 

“Okay, Hank. I’ll be there tomorrow morning. 8 am sharp.”

“Thanks, kid. This guy is fucked up. None of us have had any luck interrogating him right now,” he sighed. “I just hope we can get whatever he’s hiding out of him.”

“I’m worried about the fact that he hasn’t said anything for so long. How long can you keep him there?”

“He was arrested, and he hasn’t been assigned a lawyer yet. We’ve got time to crack him.”


	2. Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Connor and Hank, stage left.

You walk through the front doors of the DPD and take in the modern atmosphere that matches the aesthetic of all of Detroit. Androids and humans alike sit at desks working hard, or- not so hard. Your eyes land on Hank Anderson, clearly hungover and half asleep in his seat. You chuckle a little bit before you approach him and Connor, his partner. You had never met Connor before, but you were familiar with him from stories Hank would tell on occasion.

“Oh, hi there. Fancy seeing you here.” You greet with a smirk.

Hank squints his eyes open and offers you a loopy smile. “[Y/N], I was beginning to think you’d never show up. You told me 8 am sharp.”

“Shut up,” You roll your eyes playfully, “I’m only like, 10 minutes late.”

“Actually, you’re approximately 11 minutes and 28 seconds late.”

You turn your head at Connor, who’d just corrected you on your time. “Huh.” you chuckle. “You’re exactly how Hank described.”

He smiles at you a little. “And how’s that?” 

You laugh even more before you respond, “ ‘That fuckin’ android’ “ you grumble, mocking Hank’s voice.

Connor laughs, and so does Hank. “I missed you, kiddo.” Hank shakes his head. “The station’s not the same without you bugging me all the time.”

“You used to work for the Detroit Police Department?” Connor furrows his eyebrows.

“No,” Hank answers. “She used to get called here all the time to help with interrogations. She also used to love to ruin my fun and take my beer that I snuck to work.”

“I sure did.” You roll your eyes, and your eyes wander down to Hank’s coat pocket. “And that flask looks familiar.”

Connor’s eyebrows raise as he spots it, too. “There are traces of alcohol on the cap.”

“Of course there are.” You smile cheekily.

Hank stands up and points between the two of you “I don’t like the little good-cop, better-cop thing you two are playing right now. You’d better keep your mouths shut.” He walks between the two of you and your cheeky smile lingers on Connor before you two both follow him to the interrogation room. 

“It’s nice to meet you, by the way.” You say to him as you walk.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” He smiles. “I’ve been looking forward to it.”

“That's sweet, thank you. I have, too.”

When you walk into the interrogation room, Fowler nods at you and Gavin Reed doesn’t even spare you a glance. He must’ve known you were coming. You used to turn down his advances when you spent a lot of your time here. That’s okay, you didn’t want to see him either. 

“It's good to see you, [Y/N].” Fowler shakes your hand.

“You too, Captain.”

Reed scoffs. You ignore it and turn towards the one-way window. 

“So, Hank tells me this guy is a part of an anti-android terrorist group?” You say in a questioning tone.

“That’s right. The most violent we’ve seen yet. They graffitied an android’s house with threats, trashed their front lawn, and shot through the windows of their car.” Fowler frowns.

“Jesus Christ..” You murmur.

“He’s yet to speak to us.” Connor sighs. “We weren’t able to identify any other members of the group.”

You scan the police report before you speak. His name is Bret Rogers, he’s 37 and recently moved to Detroit from Arizona. You study him. It makes sense, he’s tanned, balding, and overall gives off a redneck vibe. Not very common in Detroit of all places.

“Is there anything else I should know before I go in there?” You look at the rest of the men in the room.

“That asshole is full of himself. Trying to put yourself above him isn’t going to get you far.” Hank clenches his jaw at the suspect. “Good luck.”

I nod at him and look at Bret Rogers for a moment more before you leave the room to enter his. You greet him as if you were a friendly acquaintance, much to his pleasure, before you sit down to work.  
Connor watches you carefully as you soothingly attempt to get information out of him. He studies your mannerisms. He doesn’t even process the fact that the suspect had begun to talk to you.

“Shit.” Says Hank. “I forgot how good she is at her job.”

Fowler nods in agreement, and Connor tilts his head when you smile at the suspect. He knows it’s not really as warm as you would lead on, but it's still eerily convincing. There aren’t many differences between that smile and the one you gave Connor earlier, but when Connor looks hard enough, he can tell the difference in your eyes. It's not a genuine smile, and that is satisfaction enough for him.

“You okay, Connor? Your LED is yellow.” Hank grunts.

Connor shakes his head a little as his LED returns to blue. “Yes, just deep in thought.”

You lean in towards the suspect as if very interested in how he will respond, “Why did you do it?” 

He smirks. His arrogance is what will get him caught, and you know it. You just had to play into it. “Because Androids aren’t people.” He answers “They need to go back to being what they were meant to be.”

“That can’t be all of it,” you say softly. Your gentleness continues to trick him into trusting you, Connor notices. He knows you’ve figured it out, too.

The man pauses before his expression hardens. “My fuckin’ wife left me for a fuckin’ android.” He speaks menacingly, “As soon as the android laws were passed, she was out of my life. Tell me, how is that fair?”

You think for a second, and you lie. “It's not.”

The man physically relaxes and smiles. “I’m glad somebody in this fuckin’ station understands.”

You nod, but don’t respond to what he said. Instead, you move on from it. “Listen, Bret, I need to know the name of your organization.”

He furrows his brows, and everybody can see the distrust and tension rise between the two of you. 

“I can get you out of here.” You say quietly, looking him in the eyes with the most trusting look you could muster. “But I need to know the name of your group to be able to do that. I’ll tell them you cooperated and everything.”

To everyone on the other side of the mirror you appeared calm, but in one quick analysis, Connor could see your heart racing and your body temperature rise as you waited in silence for an answer, both signs of your internal apprehension. Connor could also tell how blatantly angry the man had made you, too. He couldn’t blame you; Bret Rogers was a vile person.

The silence ended with Rogers, “You can really get me out of this?”

You nod steadily.

He pauses once more, but he trusts you. “We call ourselves the ARS. Stands for Anti-robotic society.”

You nod and rest your chin on your hand. “And who runs this establishment?”

“She’s really pushin’ it.” Hank sighs.

Connor jumps to your defense “She has a high probability of success, lieutenant.” 

Fowler nods. “We really could use her on the team. Are you sure she can’t be recruited?”

“No,” Hank says firmly. “I’m not willing to put her in any danger. Besides, she loves her job to death.”

Connor analyzes you. He discovers in your identification that you work in therapeutic practices, based mainly on mental illnesses and trauma in individuals. No wonder you’re able to gain the trust of the suspect so easily.

Rogers answers you, finally. “He calls himself Red. Runs the whole thing. Barely anybody’s seen his face. Always wears a mask. Always has his second in commands deliver orders.” He sneers. “He’s a real leader. Everybody does what he says, no questions asked. He’s a smart guy. Got big plans.”

“What kind of plans?” You feign interest.

“He’s gonna get androids back to what they were. Nothing.”

“That’s all I need, for now, Thank you.” You stand up and head for the door.

“Hey, when am I gonna get out of here?” Rogers says angrily.

You decide not to break the truth to him, in case he needs to be questioned later. “I’ll work on that.” You don’t even give him a second look before you leave for the people waiting for you.  
They look pleased at your arrival. Well, besides Reed. He doesn’t look at you as he pushes past you, making you stumble a bit. Hank isn’t happy about that, and neither is Connor.

“Asshole,” You murmur.

“Good work in there, [L/N]. It's good to have you on our side.” Fowler says respectfully, before walking out, too.   
Hank gives you a half-real smile. “How about the three of us get out of here for the evening? I’m sick of being around Reed.” 

“I’m down.” You smile at them.

Connor looks at you and smiles, too. His LED flashes yellow for a moment before he lets Hank know he wants to go, too.


	3. Kamski

'Hello [Y/N], this is Connor. I’m the android you met yesterday at the police station. I was wondering if you worked today, I’ve received a request from Elijah Kamski to come to Cyberlife with you and Lieutenant Anderson and discuss a private matter with him. I’m not sure what it pertains to, he told me it was too important to discuss over text. Please let me know if that would be an acceptable feat.'

Your phone buzzes as you get dressed, and when you read the text, you smile at Connor’s need to reintroduce himself. It's a short-lived humor, though, as your mind begins to try to figure out why Kamski would want the three of you for something. There are a lot of things you could guess, but you don’t know enough about him to make any good theory. You met him at a social gathering once, for young people who had found success.  
You left that party after half an hour, and it was a year ago. However, you had noted the subtle interest he’d taken in you, but why is it only coming into play a year later? You supposed you’d find that out. 

Hi there, Connor. You texted back. I work today, but I get off in the evening, around 7. If that’d work for everybody else, I’d be willing to go see Kamski. 

He read the message as soon as you sent it and responded in an inhuman amount of time.

Kamski agreed to the time. Hank and I can pick you up from work. :)

You laugh at the smiley face. You never forget just how human deviants are because of all that's happened, but it's always nice to see.

'See you then.' You reply. 

You work 10-hour shifts nearly all the time. 5 days a week. There are a lot of people who need help, and you’re one of the only professionals equipped to assist androids integrating into society. It's not a good thing, but it is good that you feel like you can help people. Anybody who asks will learn just how much you love your job, and you take pride in being well known for it. Not so much pride in your abilities, but pride in the lives you’ve changed. It was something you thought about often. Your hard work acquiring your Ph.D. early in life and all the work you’d put into your studies after that paid off. You were satisfied with where you were in life. Sure, you had to put certain social aspects on the backburner for a while, like romance, but now…  
You had more time for that. Not that you’d really found success in that… That was also something you thought about often.  
Connor and Hank were parked outside of your work right at 7 pm, and you weren’t out until 7:20. 

You get in the car and laugh sheepishly. “Sorry, guys, I got caught up with a client and lost track of time.”  
“Jeez, [Y/N], you haven’t been good at sticking to the schedule lately, have you?” Hank teases from the front seat.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry.” You laugh.

Connor turns around from his place in the passenger seat to greet you. “Hello again, Miss [L/N]. It’s pleasant to see you again.”

You shake your head, grinning. “Call me [Y/N], but it’s nice to see you, too, pal.”

He nods shyly, smiling, before agreeing and turning back around. Hank glances at Connor as he starts to drive but soon looks back to the road to focus. It doesn’t take too long to get to Cyberlife, but when you walk in, the three of you have no idea where to go. You walk inside the front of the large, circular building, and an android with “Chloe” On her nametag greets you.

“Hello. I’m Elijah Kamski’s personal assistant. We’ve been expecting you.” she smiles at the three of you and you can’t help but take note of how pretty she is as you feel your cheeks heat up. “Right this way.” 

The three of you make your way to the elevator, and you find soon that Connor is staring at you weirdly. Your eyes widen; he must be able to tell. His yellow LED spins as he analyzes you, and he looks like he has something to say as he turns his gaze back to Chloe. His face has faint amounts of a troubled look, and it worries you, but you bury it as the four of you step out of the elevator into a very roomy looking office. There, sat Elijah Kamski on a grey couch. 

“Welcome.” He greets with a smirk. He’s confident, which isn’t a bad thing, but he also puts himself on top of a throne when talking to other people.

“Nice to see you again.” I nod.

“Not so nice to see you again,” Hank mutters.

Connor looks a little bit uncomfortable. Judging from Hank’s tone, their last encounter couldn’t have been a great one. You stand next to Connor and bump him playfully with your shoulder to try and comfort him. He smiles at you thankfully. 

“Nice to see you, too.” He says, not looking at you, but between you and Connor. 

Chloe walks to a desk in the opposite corner of the room and sits down at a computer, while Kamski gestures for you three to sit on a couch opposite of him. Once you do, he leans forward.

“Connor.” Connor looks expectantly at him. “How have you been adjusting to deviancy?”

His LED goes yellow for a little. “Good, I suppose. It's… difficult, seeing as emotions can cloud my judgment in the field.” He speaks carefully, thoughtfully.

Kamski nods. “[Y/N], how’s work?”

I laugh at the contrast between the two questions. “Good, How about your work?”

Hank scoffs. He clearly isn’t impressed by our small talk. Both Kamski and I are amused by that fact.

“Good, in fact, I called you here to talk about it.” Says Elijah. 

“Go on.” Hank says, showing some interest.

“I plan to.” Kamski retorts, making Hank roll his eyes. “I’m developing a new software for androids.” He starts, “to help them feel more human. It would realistically amplify their emotions, and certain human wants.”

“I don’t understand,” Connor’s brow furrows. “Why did you call us here to tell us that?”

“Well here’s the thing, Connor. I need a new test subject.” he grins cockily.

All three of us are set on edge by this. 

“Ah, hell, why can’t you use one of the androids in Cyberlife, Kamski?” growls Hank.

Kamski glares at him. “I have, actually. They’ve all seemed effective thus far, Chloe over there has adapted to the software nicely.”

She smiles over her computer. “I’ve actually found it quite pleasant.”

“Why do you want to test it on Connor?” You ask as steadily as you can. You trusted Kamski, sure, but putting Connor on some new software worries you.

“That’s a very good question, [Y/N].” He smiles at you reassuringly. Although he was an asshole most of the time, he was good to people who held his respect. It’s too bad that the fact that he picks and chooses who to be kind to annoys you. “I want to try it on Connor here because he’s often put in stressful situations where he has to make tough choices, and because I believe he can help me develop it further.”

Connor’s LED is yellow and spinning. He’s obviously thinking about it thoroughly. 

Hank hums and takes his flask out to take a big swig of whatever’s in it. Kamski chuckles a little at his reaction. Connor, however, was obviously starting to look doubtful.

“If it makes a difference, you can stop it at any time and it won’t affect any of your other abilities. Only your emotions, plus a few human characteristics.”

“What kind of Characteristics?” Connor asks.

“Things like wanting to be around people or wanting to be alone, just cravings for things in life.” He glances at me briefly, grinning smugly. “Cravings for human contact.”

You and Connor share an embarrassed glance. You just met the guy! Although… once you thought about it, he was kind of adorable in a puppy-dog sort of way. You felt heat rush to your face once more, you just hoped to god you weren’t blushing, because Kamski would have you all figured out. You shrug nonchalantly. 

Connor nods slowly. “Okay… I’ll do it”

Kamski grins “Great! But there’s more.” He looks at you. “I want you to help him.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You. [Y/N], You’re great at your job. You know so much about the human mind. I’m going to require weekly updates from Connor on how the software affects him, and I want you to help him tell me what I need to know, and discover what he needs to know.” You raise your eyebrows. 

“That’s really flattering, but, I just met him. Do you really think I’m the best person to help him with this? I mean, Hank and him are so much closer-”

“No,” Hank interrupts. “I think Kamski is right… For once” He mutters that last part.

Kamski laughs at Hank again, and turns his attention back to me, and, in the most sincere voice you’ve heard from him, says “Please?”

You look at him sympathetically, and then to Connor. Upon you two making eye contact, you note that his LED turns from blue to yellow, to blue again. “Would you be okay with that?”

Connor nods, looking nervous. You look at Kamski and agree to do it.

“Perfect! Chloe?” He calls out to her. She comes over holding a computer chip and explains to Connor that she’s going to go behind him and insert it.

“If you ever want to take it out, you just have to have someone take it out of the panel in your neck.” She says. He hums in understanding. 

Everybody leans towards him in interest to see how he’ll react. After a couple seconds, he gasps and his hands fly up to his head. His LED is red.

“Connor?” You say, alarmed, you put your hand on his shoulder, and he looks at you with wide eyes. He looks incredibly overwhelmed. Once he sees your worried stare he turns his body and buries his face in a pillow resting on the arm of the couch.

You look at Kamski, “Uh, What the fuck?”

He’s smiling a little. “Just give him a minute. This is normal. He’s smelling and feeling the temperature and everything around him for the first time… He’s also probably experiencing amplified emotions. 

“I swear to god, Kamski,” Hank growls, “If he’s hurt you’re gonna regret it.”

Kamski shrugs, and everybody looks back to Connor. After his breathing steadies, he raises himself and gives everything a look over. “Woah..” He says softly. 

It makes you smile softly. It must be weird to become more alive then you’ve been your whole life. When he looks at you, His face flushes blue as if he were blushing, and you gulp.  
You studied people for a living, you weren’t oblivious to the signs he was showing, but you certainly were in denial. However, you found yourself flushed with all the emotion he was showing you.

“You okay, Connor?” Hank says worriedly.

Connor nods breathlessly and looks at Kamski to say his first complete thought. “Thank you.”


	4. Out and About

At first, you hadn’t quite realized that Kamaski had you being Connor’s caretaker in mind when he asked for your help, but, strangely, you were okay with it. You had your workplace make arrangements to reschedule all your appointments past 3 pm next week because you would be working different hours to be able to spend time with Connor during the day. Connor had been staying with Hank, but when Connor fell asleep in the car, he and you had decided it would be best for him to stay with you for the time being.  
He fell asleep. He was already becoming more human by the minute. It was Friday night so you didn’t have work tomorrow, but Kamaski wanted Connor to send him a report every Saturday, so you’d have to think of questions to ask Connor that would help with Kamski's research. He had already given you some ideas, like he would want to know the new changes from week to week, about new experiences and feelings, but that’s all he had requested. He had said for you to ask anything else that you thought would help.

“I trust your judgment” He had said. You were grateful for that.

Connor had been dragged in by you and Hank earlier, and now he’s fast asleep on your couch, peacefully. You smile a little before you head to your room and write down possible questions, and soon enough you were asleep, too.  
And then you weren’t.

“[Y/N]?”

You jump at the sound of your name; You live alone! 

“Oh fuck,” You sighed, “You scared me, Connor.”

“I’m sorry.” He frowns. 

“What time is it?” You ask, lying back down. 

“It’s 8:06 am.” 

“You woke me up at 8 in the morning on a Saturday?” You jokingly groan.

Connor apologizes once more, “I never understood the human wish for more sleep until this morning.” He sheepishly admits.

You giggle and start to get out of bed. “Okay, give me a moment to get dressed, and then we can talk about what we’re going to do today.”

“What we’re going to do?” Connor tilts his head like a little puppy, and you feel your heart sort of flutter.

You just nod at him. “Yes, I want to put you through everyday experiences. I think it could help you understand what life is all about, you know?”

He stares at you with those bright, brown eyes.

“Connor?”

“Yes?”

“I need to change.”

He tilts his head more and you laugh. “People don’t usually get naked in front of each other, Connor.”

“Oh! Uh- Sorry!” He rushes out of your room.

You laugh and put on jeans and a sweater before you walk out into your living room where Connor was standing. You grab your bag. “So, Connor, I have a question.” You smile a little as he hums as a response to your greeting. “Do you… feel hunger?”

He shakes his head. “No, but I think the new software has given me taste buds. I’ve had a weird taste in my mouth ever since I woke up.” 

“Hm. That’s interesting. I think you and I should get breakfast and see how you like it...And maybe a toothbrush” You laugh. 

He smiles, and his LED goes yellow for a little. You can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking about whenever the color of his LED changes. You decide on walking today rather than driving. It wouldn’t take too long to walk to the nearest cafe, and across from that cafe was a park.

“Have you ever had coffee?” You ask.

Connor shakes his head no, and you smile. “I think I might just have you try a bunch of different drinks.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to spend a large portion of your money on me.”

“It’ll be fine, Connor.” You give him a warm smile, which he returns.

The both of you leave your house, you lock up, and begin on your shared journey.

“You know, Hank has told me a lot about you.” He says, looking ahead as you walk.

“Really? Like what?” 

He thinks for a moment. “He said you’re really smart, and you know a lot about how people work.” Connor looks you right in the eye. “He said that’d be really dangerous if you didn’t care so much about everybody.”

You smile and look ahead again. “Hank’s told me a lot about you, too. He used to call me and complain when you first became his partner, but it was like a week later he was admitting that he cared a lot about you. He definitely cares a lot more than he lets on sometimes.”

Connor smiles. “You know, it's interesting. You can do things that my logic can’t always comprehend.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Back in the interrogation room, you were able to get through to him by appearing empathetic. While it was certainly a possibility I could see working, I wouldn’t have tried it right away, because it wasn’t necessarily logical.” He is clearly deep in thought. “But, I could tell that you knew what you were doing. You weren’t just being personable, there was lots of thought behind everything you were saying. Hank was right, you could easily use that to manipulate people, but instead, you use it to aid people. I think that’s one of the most genuinely good things that humanity can offer.”

You walk in a shocked silence. “Wow.. that’s… Thank you, Connor.”

He smiles gently at you, and you find yourself smiling, too, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. He really is kind of cute.  
You and Connor arrive at the cafe shortly, and it's only a little bit awkward ordering various pastries and drinks, and it's only a little more awkward having to carry all of them to a booth with Connor. He is unbelievably happy trying different foods and drinks. He takes a liking to everything on the table that’s chocolatey, you note, and smile. 

“I had no idea!” He grins.

You giggle. It wasn’t quite a complete thought, but it said enough. Soon, you both leave the cafe and start to walk through the park. You can see his melt heart in real time while looking at all the animals. He watches birds land and fly away, pets every dog he passes, and even asks if he were allowed to jump in the lake and try to interact with the fish. 

“No,” You giggle, “But you could do it anyway, and we could just run once the park rangers catch us.”

He doesn’t quite understand the joke at first, but it comes to him as you two start to walk away. He starts to cackle. Once you realize what’s happening, you laugh, too.

“You’re such a nerd.” You grin.

He tilts his head with a little, cheeky smile, “I didn’t realize that ‘nerd’ was a compliment.”

You giggle, “Wow, you’re a comedian, too.” 

The both of you get back to your house around 7 pm. After a full day out you’re exhausted, but you know you have to ask Connor questions for your first report to Kamaski. You explain that you’re going to ask him questions, and he’s going to record his thoughts as he answers and send them to Kamaski.

“Okay, Connor. Let’s start with an easy one. Who did you interact with today?”

“You and a barista, and a nice lady who let me pet her dog.”

You laugh a little before you continue. “What kinds of things did you see?”

Connor listed off the sights and foods he’d seen today, smiling thoughtfully.

“What kind of things did you feel today?”

“I felt… happy, curious… and tired.” He admits, chuckling.

You smile, amused. “What was different about this week, compared to last week?”

“I feel more alive than I ever knew was possible.”


	5. Good Morning!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little bit of fluff.

“[Y/N]?”

For the second day in a row, you find that you’re being awoken by Connor. You can’t keep your eyes open for even a second, so you respond with your head still half buried in your pillow.

“What’s up, Connor?” You can hear the sleepy slur in your voice.

“I- Um..”

He sounds nervous, which worries you. You peer above your eyelashes to find Connor, face flushed blue from the blood rushed to his face, crying, and wringing his hands nervously. You sit up quickly.

“Connor? What’s wrong?” 

“I… think I had a nightmare…” He murmurs.

You can feel your heart break as your brain begins to process this. His red eyes can’t meet your gaze. You ask him to sit down and he does, looking quite ashamed.

“Hey, it's okay, Connor…” You coo gently, rubbing his back.

“I just feel so ridiculous. I’ve never been this emotional in my life.” He sniffs.

“That’s not a bad thing,” You remind him, “It’s an adjustment period. You’re not supposed to be used to it quite yet.”

He nods but doesn’t speak for a moment. “It just… felt so real.”

You nod, too. “Have you ever had a nightmare before?”

He shakes his head no. Poor kid, he probably thought it was real the whole time. He doesn’t look like he wants to talk about it, though. You glance over to your alarm clock, and to your dismay, you see that it’s 4 in the morning. 

“Do you think you’ll be able to go back to sleep?” you ask, trying not to prod him.

He shakes his head no again, and you assure him that that’s okay. “I’ll stay up with you.”

Connor finally looks you in the eyes, he still looks sad. “You don’t have to. I don’t want to disrupt-”

You cut him off gently. “No, I don’t want you to feel alone right now.”  
He studies you carefully and then nods. Connor curls up next to you in bed, and you two talk until, as you predicted, he falls asleep. You find yourself nodding off soon after his responses stop coming.  
Connor wakes up before you, and looks on at your sleeping form for a moment. You were so at peace. He wondered what kind of things were going on in your mind, and he did quite often because he couldn’t figure it out half of the time. He didn’t exactly like that he felt so dependent on you right now, but he knew that once he adjusted to the new software he was going to try and support you. He felt like he had to prove himself to you. Connor was never so swayed by his own emotions. Was this being alive?  
You begin to stir in your sleep, and Connor feels his software instability rise. He never knew attraction before you. When you whine a little in your sleep and grab ahold of his arm, Connor stands up abruptly and leaves your room from sheer embarrassment. He knows it wasn’t intentional, but it still got to him.  
When you finally come to your senses, it’s around one in the afternoon. You get up, not bothering to change from your pajamas, and go out in search of Connor. Soon enough you find him at the counter in the kitchen, tampering with something.

“Good morning.” You smile, walking into the kitchen to get some coffee brewing.

“Hello, [Y/N]. I think a better descriptor would be ‘good afternoon’.” He teases.

You laugh at this. “Good afternoon.” You correct. “Whatcha got there?”

He turns over his shoulder to look at you. “Forgive me, I saw this sitting out on your desk, and couldn’t help but take a look.”

You walk over and inspect what he’d grabbed. “Oh, this old thing. This is a music box that belonged to my mother. About a year ago it broke or something because I just couldn’t turn the little handle..” You smile sadly. “I tried to fix it forever, but…” You shook your head and put it on the counter. You decide it’s time to go pay attention to the now ready coffee.

“[Y/N]...” He speaks softly.

You hum, but don’t look over your shoulder as you pour your drink. Then, you hear something. It's indescribably familiar. You turn around slowly, to see Connor holding the music box. It was turning. It was playing music. You look at it with awe, and your gaze meets his. His eyes are bright, innocent, trusting. You walk over to Connor slowly, and he puts the music box into your hands. You look and listen to the familiar, gentle toon until it gradually slows to a stop, and then you immediately envelop Connor in a tight hug. He hesitates at first, but returns the embrace.

You’re too choked up to say anything too loud without embarrassing yourself, but you manage to whisper out a “Thank you.”

“It's not a problem…” He returns your tone, and you laugh.

You pull away after a second more and sit down next to him. “Shit.” You say, wiping tears away. “It's been a while since I’ve heard this thing play.”

Connor’s eyes are trained on you. “[Y/N]?” You meet his curious eyes. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Go for it.”

“What happened in your past?”

You laugh, but there’s a little bit of sadness behind it. “That’s a complicated question, Connor. A lot of things happened.”

“I’ve noticed, from analyzing you, that you constantly have low serotonin levels, even in seemingly happy situations, which is an indicator of depression.” You know that he means well, even though he’s a little blunt at times... like right now.

You nod, “I do have depression.”

He blinks. “Your medical records also say that you were diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when you were 14.”

You swallow hard, and your eyes travel to the floor. “Yeah.” What else was there to say?

“I…” Connor collects himself for a second. “I just want you to know that, if you ever need anyone to talk to, I’m here.” Though you're fond of Connor and you trust him completely, you couldn't think of anything you'd like to talk about less.

You nod and force a smile, but you’re not aware of just how unconvincing it is. “That’s very kind, Connor. Thank you.”

Soon, you find that he’s hugging you again, and now it’s your turn to reluctantly hug back. You stay that way for a few seconds before he says, “I’m glad I met you.”

“I’m glad I met you, too, Connor.”

“I have a feeling I wouldn’t have been able to develop my humanity like this if I hadn’t met you.” He murmurs into your hair.

You’re suddenly aware of how much taller he is than you, and you feel the familiar heat rise to your cheeks. Out of complete shyness, you pull away and turn around to tend to your coffee.

“So do you want to do anything today?” You ask, out of absolute nervousness, trying to sound casual.

Connor is silent for a moment, but he ignores your question before asking one of this own. “[Y/N], Your heart rate has increased dramatically, and your temperature levels are rising. Are you okay?”

You glance at him for a second. “It happens.”


	6. Familiarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You see someone you recognize at work.

Monday morning. You had got up at 6 am, much to your dismay, to arrive at work by 8. Because of the extra time you were making to spend with Connor, You now worked from 8 to 3, instead of 1 to 7. You had hoped that it wouldn’t affect your work, seeing as you were not really a morning person, but you had found that it was fine. Everything went as it usually does, just, earlier. Towards the end of work, you’d gotten a text from Connor, who was back at work as well.

'Would you be willing to sit in on another interrogation after work? We could pick you up, and we don’t think you’d have to come in and assist, but there’s always the chance we might need you. '

'That’d be fine. I get off of work at 3 today.' You type back.

'Thanks!'

You enter the room of your last client to sit down to talk, and to your surprise, you see a familiar face.

“Kamski?” You raise your eyes. “What brings you here? I didn’t know that you were on my list…” Upon checking the list, you realize the new client name was a fake. You had barely skimmed over it this morning. Your new client was Bob Boberson, huh?

“Well, I wanted to confide in somebody, and I hear that you’re the best therapist this side of Detroit.” He grins, clearly amused.

You chuckle a little. “Thank you for the kind words, I guess we better get this started, then. Is there anything you want to tell me?”

He looks you in the eyes. “There’s a reason that I asked you to take care of Connor.”

This was going to be an interesting session. “Go on.” You lean towards him.

“When I met you at that party a year ago, I asked you what you thought about androids, and you told me that I didn’t want to hear what you had to say. Do you recall?”

You nod.

“Once I prodded you enough, you told me that there was more to them then following orders. You told me you had an android of your own, and it gave itself to save your life from somebody who’d broken into your house.”

As he speaks, you feel your heart twist a little. Yes, You cared very deeply about your first android friend, Lucas, and you miss him all the time. He was too damaged to be repaired, and you didn't want to get a new one. Even if it was the same model, it wouldn't be the same person. So, you never did.

“You said that as he was dying, you knew in your heart that he was truly alive until he wasn’t.” He says, solemnly.

You continue to nod, too emotional to say something insightful.

He smiles sympathetically before he continues, “I knew that to bring Connor to a state of being more alive, he would need someone who truly believed it was possible. My concern is, how do you think I can help other androids make that transition without someone like you looking out for them? I saw how hard it was on Chloe for the first few weeks, do you think they could make it through that on their own?”

You sit back and think for a second. You had to put your emotions separate from most of your work to be able to be level-headed about your responses. 

“Would it be possible to make the adjustments slower? To have the software increase to its maximum potential over time?” You ask.

Kamaski leans back, looking thoughtful, as he listens to you speak. “I think they need more time to adjust if I’m being completely honest. They were able to adjust the transition to deviancy just fine, but I think that’s because the added sensory of your new software combined with extra emotions has been staggering for Connor.” 

You two continue to talk about the integration of androids into society, and what he could do to possibly ease them into the software, and as your time comes to a close, he has one more thing to say.

“Can I tell you one last thing?” He asks.

“Anything.” You smile, feeling much more warmed up to him already.

“Connor is definitely falling in love with you, [Y/N].”

You raise your eyebrows and find yourself unable to respond to such a claim, but he wouldn’t give you the chance to respond anyways as he walks past you, smiling calmly, out of your office.


	7. The Bad Kind of Tension

You furrow your brows as you watch Connor skillfully interrogate the person in the next room, then you turn to Hank.

“So, you found this guy in a blue mask trying to break Rogers out of his cell?” You ask, incredulously.

Hanks nods. “We have no idea how the fucker got in here.”

You tilt your head as you try to take the case in, but your mind quickly starts to wander. Because of Kamski, your focus is all over the place. Connor is getting frustrated with the suspect, and frankly, he looks undeniably attractive. His confidence really starts to show as his voice raises while he presses the suspect for information. The corners of his mouth twitch out of anger, and he seems so much less like a puppy and more like a…

“Oh, so are you gonna fuck the robot now?” An all too familiar voice says.

You whip your head around to finally look Gavin Reed in the eyes for the first time since you’ve seen him this past week, and much to your dismay, he is glaring right at you. What he said seems to have put Hank in pure angry shock, because he can’t seem to find the right words as he just clenches and unclenches his fist. He can't punch Gavin; it certainly wouldn't be his first fight in the police station, so it definitely wouldn't go without a punishment.

“What the fuck did you just say?” You growl, not only for yourself but for Connor and Hank.

“Hey, hey,” Fowler steps between the line of sight between you and Reed, “Let’s all be adults.”

“He’s never been an adult in his entire life.” you mutter spitefully.

You hear quiet mutterings from him as well, all you can make out is something along the lines of “Fuck you”

Finally, it seems like Hank has found his voice. “You asshole! [Y/N] is taking time out of her fucking life to come help us with the shit that we can’t figure out and after she doesn’t decide you’re what she wants, she’s not allowed do do fucking anything!” Hank starts to stalk towards him threateningly.

“Anderson…” Fowler warns.

Reed stands up from his chair. “You wanna go, old man?”

Anxiety overcomes your anger and you call out to him, “Wait, Hank-”

Before you can say anything else, Hank shoves Reed and after Reed stumbles, he punches Hank. Hard. You watch him stumble back from the punch and your anger shoots through the roof, the anxiety forgotten in an instant. You take one step towards Reed and Fowler shouts.

“No! No. Not today. All three of you are out of here for the day. Take Connor, too, I can’t deal with your shit.”

You look Fowler in the face for a solid minute. Not moving, not even thinking. Finally, you swallow everything you wanted to say. Its as if you can feel the heat of your unspoken words go down your throat with your gulp as you start to tear up. You storm out the door with Hank close behind, and you sharply turn the corner to the interrogation room where Connor was still deep into interrogating, and oblivious to the situation. He turns to you and his LED flashes from yellow to blue and back to yellow. 

“We gotta get out of here today,” You sigh.

The suspect, a middle-aged man with short brown hair and the ugliest blue eyes you've ever seen, turns and looks at you. “You’re the one he told us about.”

You and Connor are both sent into shock, though some primal instinct tells you that you can not show it in the slightest if you want to be smart.

“What?” You breathe out, still lightheaded from the adrenaline that the previous anger had caused. “Who?”

“Red.” He answers cryptically.

You continue to stare at him, confusion and fear starting to build. Connor starts to walk to the door. 

“Come on.” He whispers.

You linger for a second but then follow right behind him. He slows to walk in place with you, and his yellow LED spins.

“[Y/N], you appear to be at dangerously high stress levels, what happened?” He murmurs.

“A lot.” you sigh.

“Do you wish to talk about it?”

You can’t seem to meet his gaze. “I don’t know.”

The two of you walk in silence for a little. You assume the both of you are deep in thought. You want to yell, and punch Gavin, and let Hank know you appreciate him, but the suspect had scared the shit out of you. Did he really know who you were, or was he just bullshitting? It really was the last thing you would’ve expected out of today. Something pulls you out of your racing thoughts, though.  
You look down at your hands, to find that Connor has intertwined your fingers. Your gaze lingers there for a little, before you finally meet his gaze. His eyes are so focused on every tiny move you make... he looks really worried. You feel your anger start to fade looking at him. You squeeze his hand and smile at him a little, and you can see relief flood into his features. All of the emotions kind of hit you at once, and tears start to fall. Connor’s eyes widen as you desperately wipe them away, and he hugs you. It's kind of a reality check for you; you need to calm down right now.

“Your stress levels seem to have gone down…” He says softly.

“I think I just freaked out for a second…” You shake your head. “Reed upset me, and then Hank and him got in a fight. Reed punched him.” 

“What???” Connor gasps, his LED flashes to bright red. “What did he say?”

You pause, not really knowing how to approach this. “He… commented on the relationship between you and I. He did it out of spite of me rejecting him before.”

Connor tenses up, and you pull back to find that his face is full of anger again. “Connor,” you frown. “I know, but it’s done. I don’t want to deal with it anymore today.”

You feel bad because it's obviously a struggle for him to let it go, but he does... for you.

“Let’s go,” Connor says gently, though it's strained a little.

You hug him again, unaware of the fact that Connor was beginning to want this more often; hugging you, that is. Though, he was unaware that you may be wanting exactly the same thing.


	8. The Bad Kind of Tension, Part 2

In the morning, you and Connor both get ready for work together. Of course, he has way less to worry about when it comes to getting ready, but he still keeps you company until you leave. As you make yourself lunch for the day, he speaks up.

“[Y/N]?”

“What’s up, Connor?”

He sounds nervous, and he takes a second before he speaks. “I don’t want you to worry, but I’m going on a field mission today.”

You do worry, and you turn around quickly to face him. “What?? Are you sure you’re ready?”

He smiles, “Yes, you’ve helped me adapt quite quickly to my new software updates, thank you.”

You still aren’t convinced, and you press for more details. 

“I’m going to a possible hideout of the group the suspects spoke about,” he says, making your anxiousness skyrocket.

“That’s so dangerous, is there no one else that can go in your place?” You practically plead. 

You really don’t like the thought of them, especially since they seem to know who you are. Not that it would be hard to find out, considering the fact you've been in the public eye for quite some time, but why would you be relevant to them? That's what worries you the most.

Connor’s LED flashes to yellow for a second, and he grabs your hand. “[Y/N]...” He says softly. “You know that I am the most capable person to do this, and that’s why they asked.”

Your heart sinks in defeat, and you let go of his hand to wrap your arms around him. “I don’t want you to be in danger…”

“I’m a detective, please try to understand that no matter what happens,” Connor pulls away from the hug to look you in the eyes, “I will be as careful as I can be.”

You nod and sigh. “Please, please stay safe.”

He nods, too, and you hug one last time before both of you make your final preparations for the day and walk out the front door. All day at work you keep your phone on vibrate just in case. With every passing time between clients you get you can feel your nerves get the best of you. It makes it especially worse that you know you’re supposed to be able to put that aside to help people, but today you just can’t. Much to your dismay, around your lunch break, you get a text from none other but Hank Anderson.

'[Y/N]... Don’t freak out.'

You freak out. 'What happened?'

'I think it would be better for me to call you.'

'No,' you send back, 'I’m way too nervous.'

'K… Connor’s in the hospital.'

You feel the panic rise immediately, 'I’m on my way'

'He’s okay, he’s just shaken up. He was shot in the shoulder, and it wasn’t vital. He’s all repaired now'

'I’m still coming. Text me room number please, be there in 10'

You have 45 minutes before you have to be back at work, if you were even planning on coming back. You're beyond worried, and you didn’t wait around long enough for Hank to even begin to explain.   
In record time you’re in your car and en route to the hospital. You love your job more than anything and yet, here you are making a conscious decision to risk to not making it back on time, to put your integrity as a coworker at risk, and worst of all, hinder the trust of the clients you might miss, but if you put your work above your friends in times of need, you weren’t going to have any friends left.   
When you arrive at the front desk, a female android smiles and calmly asks for your name. Once she processes your information she nods and gives you the OK to proceed into the patient wing. You ride the elevator to the floor Connor is on and speed walk in search of his room. It doesn’t take you long. When you finally find it, you pause for a moment to collect yourself, and tip-toe in.

“Hey kid,” Hank smiles. It's not a real smile, and it's apparent that he didn’t get much sleep last night by the bags under his eyes, Your heart twists some.

“Hey, Hank. You okay?” You frown, taking careful steps over to him and resting your hand on his shoulder. You're concerned about both of them, seeing the state that Hank is in.

He shakes his head, “It's been a rough couple of days.”

You nod solemnly, the feel of the room is very much brought down by worry and stress. You now turn your attention to Connor, who is sitting on the bed with an emotionless expression on his face.

You sit on the other side of Connor’s bed, thinking. Connor is alive, which is the one thing keeping you grounded right now. The rest was uncertain, it was clear that he didn’t feel alive.

“Connor?” You plead quietly for a response. His already yellow LED flickers, but he doesn’t look from where his eyes are trained at the wall.  
Hoping Hank doesn’t see, you reach across the bed to rest your hand on top of Connor’s. It's warm, something you’ve definitely taken note of. Androids are cold to the touch without Kamski’s software, but even giving them heat makes them feel that much more human.

“You know, [Y/N], I remember when you were a teenager,” Hank speaks up. You look at him before he continues. “You were angry at the world for a while… really angry.”

Where was he going with this, and was this the time? He reaches over to a bedside stand where a cup of water sits and takes a sip. “I think one day you realized that you’d have to fight for yourself, and you’d have to fight for others. Because I just... remember when androids first started coming around you started fighting for them, too.”

You blink at him. That much was true. Adolescence truly was hard for you, not that that was an uncommon story when compared to everyone else.  
Then again, you shouldn't compare the hardships of anyone's life to justify how you feel.

“It just seems so fucking unfair that a kid like you had to grow up and start fighting so fast.”

You smile sadly. “You’ve fought a few of your own battles, Hank.”

He nods and smiles a little. “I just can’t believe that you found someone who can keep up with you.”

You laugh, “What? What’s that supposed to mean?”

He stops looking at you, and his eyes move on to Connor. “When I first met Connor I was bitter about androids. Felt like humans were getting rid of their humanity for convenience… I’d like to think that we both changed.” With a nod of his head, he looks at you once more. “I’d like to think you and Connor are changing because you know each other.”

“How so?” You ask quietly.

“I’m a detective, you know.” He laughs.

You laugh, too, though it's out of confusion. “I’m aware?”

“Me and Connor? Well, the both of us were assholes, we taught each other that we don’t have to be that way… well, not all the time at least.”

You laugh at him more, and slouch down in your seat, relaxing for the first time today.

Hank’s tone is laced with playful indication. “I think you and Connor are teaching each other about… y’know.” 

You roll your eyes. “That’s what Kamski told me.”

“Ah shit, don’t tell me I sound like that motherfucker.”

You laugh more, and so does he, but both of you jump when you notice Connor looking at you, still mostly emotionless.

“Connor?” You ask, once more.

Connor’s eyes scrunch up and close at the sound of your voice, and he begins to shake. His LED is bright, threatening red. Panic rises through the entirety of your body, especially at the thought of him exploding from stress. 

“Connor, don’t let your stress levels get too high. I don’t want you to get hurt again.” You plead.

Slowly he begins to blink open his eyes and once they’re open he looks at you. “I thought I was going to die,” 

Your heart twists and you grab Connor’s hand with both of yours. “I’m so glad you didn’t” You shake your head.

The shaking becomes less intense but doesn’t stop, and tears start to fall down his frightened features. The only thing you can do right now is get up and hug him, and that just makes the crying worse. Hank gets up and lays a hand on a shoulder for both of you.

“It’s gonna be alright, kid. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

What can you even say? Genuinely, you have no idea. All you know how to do now that seems to be right is to hug Connor. It’s so surreal, you can’t even believe that you’re here right now with him, alive. 

He’s so much more important than you understood before.

**Author's Note:**

> Please be sure to leave constructive criticism if you so wish, because though this isn't the first story I've written, it's the first one that I'm, like, sharing with other people. Thanks! :)


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